A new make-up collection from the Ulta Beauty brand pays tribute to artist Frida Kahlo with the message: “Never apologize for who you are”. Yet, this did not stop the brand from retouching the photo to make her face appear whiter and reduce the Mexican painter’s notorious monobrow.
The ad immediately provoked negative reactions on social networks. Not only are touch-ups pointed out, but other netizens also criticized the fact of erecting the anti-capitalism artist and “the daughter of the revolution”, as she called herself, as a symbol of a makeup brand listed on the stock market.
lmao ulta made a frida line and said ‘never apologize for who you are’….and then edited her unibrow out and made her much lighter pic.twitter.com/0fibYyMTct
— ⋆rachel⋆ (@HAPPlMESS) July 7, 2019
“Frida Kahlo was a communist who fought against capitalism, she would be rolling in her grave knowing that Ulta has a collection after her” one Twitter user pointed out.
Frida Kahlo was a communist who fought against capitalism, she would be rolling in her grave knowing that Ulta has a collection after her
— 🌙Josie✨ (@colorssoooh) July 7, 2019
Me: Ulta is doing a Frida Kahlo collection!?
Ulta: *photoshopped her unibrow off*
Me: pic.twitter.com/GAo4YQbY6q— Klarissa Perez, M. Ed. (@klarissa_perez) July 6, 2019
Last year, a similar reaction was sparked when a whiter doll with Frida Khalo’s face and without monobrow was released.
The Ultra Beauty brand is yet to react to this controversy.
